


And so the adventure begins

by Imandra_Pipkin



Series: Hunter's Moon Bingo 2020 [3]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), malec - Fandom
Genre: Books, Canon divergent to 2 x 08, Established Relationship, High Warlock of Brooklyn Magnus Bane, M/M, Mystical Creatures
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:34:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28286316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imandra_Pipkin/pseuds/Imandra_Pipkin
Summary: Magnus has many commitments as the High Warlock of Brooklyn. Some tasks give him a lot of joy because he cares deeply about his community. On the other hand, there are also measures that he is forced to take that are not easy for him.Thank goodness he has a high-ranking and competent, not to mention more than just handsome shadowhunter, at his side when he has to deal with the aftermath of Iris Rouse's actions.But now and then, really not often, rather very rarely, or actually never, at least until now, it happens that an unpleasant duty becomes something completely different, something so unexpected and exciting that in this particular case it is not necessarily just his sense of duty that drives him. Because who can say no to an adventure?
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Series: Hunter's Moon Bingo 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2017141
Comments: 12
Kudos: 29
Collections: SHBingo 20-21





	And so the adventure begins

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MuscleMemory](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MuscleMemory/gifts).



> Hunter's Moon Bingo prompt 3: Summoning gone wrong

When Magnus walked into the loft, Alec was already home.

Magnus toed off his shoes and left them where they fell off his feet and threw his jacket in the direction of the coat rack. He just dropped his satchel by the door. 

He was exhausted. Exhausted and hungry. He wished for nothing more than to curl up next to his gorgeous shadowhunter boyfriend and sleep for the next three days. 

But that would have to wait, for quite a while even. 

He rolled his shoulders as he walked into the living room, moving his head to either side to ease the tension. A massage would be just wonderful right now.

Alec put the iPad aside and raised his head for a kiss. "Hey, babe! Long day?"

"Long week." Magnus sat down next to Alec and sighed, leaning his head against the back of the sofa.

"You know you just have to say something if you want me to help you." Alec eyed his boyfriend in concern.

"I know, Angel, but there is nothing you can do to help me." Magnus turned his head to look at Alec. "To create an inventory you need a warlock. As the High Warlock of Brooklyn, it's my duty to do that. Especially since I was the one who sent Iris to Idris."

After Max's rune ceremony, Magnus had made sure that all the children as well as all the women Iris Rouse had used as birth machines were housed elsewhere.

Worryingly, not all of the children's mothers were to be found in Iris's house. Magnus didn't like to imagine what might have happened to these women. He had pulled out all the stops so that the orphaned children could find a new home with reliable Warlocks from Magnus' community.

Of the three women found in the house, one was pregnant, the other two had recently given birth, and all three were being looked after by Cat. In the Spiral Labyrinth, it was currently being discussed how these severely traumatized mundane women could be helped.

Although Magnus had help, making an inventory and boxing Iris' belongings that were in the house after being thoroughly cleansed by an experienced warlock, this didn't apply to all of the stuff Iris used as a warlock like her books, potions, lotions or charms. He even found his own Grimoire, which Iris had stolen during the party.

The worldly property like the house would be sold, the proceeds and the assets in the bank accounts would benefit the community and above all Iris' victims. 

After the women and children were rescued, Magnus had a rough overview for the first two days. He had discussed the clearing of the individual rooms with other Warlocks and organized the removal of the furniture. 

Since these chores were distributed and only occasionally required his attention or advice, he could devote himself to his most important task.

It wasn't just about creating an inventory and possibly securing or destroying dangerous things, but also about collecting and documenting evidence against Iris. He'd found something in the study that he thought was an encrypted list of customers, which he'd passed on to the Shadowhunters. The Nephilim should take care of this.

Magnus had seen the basement room where Clary was held. But this wasn't the only room in the basement. He spent hours locking and sealing the entrances to ensure that no more demons could enter this dimension. Always aware of the potential danger of setting off a trap. 

That required a lot of magic. He felt soiled, exhausted and drained. 

In a room enlarged by magic, Magnus found a summoning ring drawn on the floor and various things that were needed for summoning. Something about the summoning ring was odd, but he couldn't put a finger on what exactly made him feel uneasy. 

He took photos from different angles and details with his smartphone. Only when he had found out what this meant would he decide (possibly together with the Spiral Labyrinth) what to do with it. 

He took a closer look at this otherwise bare room and found massive chains on the back wall with gigantic shackles attached to them. The thing that worried Magnus most about this picture was that one of these chains was up high on the wall. The shackle, which was attached to this chain and hung loose and empty, was about 80 cm above his head. 

Magnus wondered what was going on inside this unscrupulous woman's head.

Iris had some rather bizarre books in her possession, which he would send to the Spiral Labyrinth, but not without first checking them thoroughly. Iris' house was huge and he didn't want to overlook anything that would later bite him in the ass. 

He was far from being done there and would still need to spend quite a while in that house. 

"I brought some books from the house to look through," said Magnus, yawning.

Alec shook his head. "But not tonight. You need to eat something and then allow yourself some rest."

Magnus tried to argue, but Alec held up a finger. "I insist. We stay on the couch and watch one of your cheesy movies."

Magnus smiled and gave in. Alec was a very caring boyfriend. Why should he resist him?

"What do you want me to conjure?" 

"You have exerted yourself enough. We order in the old fashioned way." Alec picked up his cell phone, wiggling it.

Magnus was too tired of thinking about what to eat, so Alec ordered some Thai food.

About halfway through the movie, Alec noticed that Magnus could barely keep his eyes open. 

Carefully he pushed Magnus' head off his shoulder. He put the empty food containers in the trash and put the used glasses in the sink. 

When he came into the living room, Magnus turned his head in his direction. His smile was broken by a hearty yawn. Magnus put his hand to his mouth and mumbled. "Sorry."

Alec reached out and pulled his boyfriend off the couch. "Let's take a shower and then to bed."

These were the moments when Magnus was happy about the technical advances he was able to experience in the last century such as an electric toothbrush. He didn't know if he had enough energy to brush his teeth with his hand. 

It wasn't the first time he'd worked to the point of physical exhaustion and let his level of magic sink this low. 

Magnus enjoyed and appreciated that Alec took care of him, helping him undress. Alec had thought of taking the special face wash into the shower, with which he carefully removed Magnus' make-up. He spread Magnus' favorite shower gel over his body, washed his hair and rinsed off the foam.

Alec quickly washed himself, turned off the shower, and wrapped Magnus in a large, fluffy bath towel.

Magnus noticed that his nail polish had flaked off on several fingers when Alec rubbed a nourishing lotion into his hands after applying his face cream. But he was too tired to let this bother him. He could do his nails tomorrow when his magic was fully charged again.

Normally Magnus only slept in silk pj bottoms, but Alec figured that Magnus needed an extra dose of fluff and warmth and helped him to put on warm pajamas. He tucked Magnus into bed and lay down on his side of the bed.

"Come here." Alec opened his arms and Magnus molded at his side. Snuggled close to his boyfriend, he quickly fell asleep.

༺ ∘ ༻

The next morning, a Saturday, Magnus felt a lot better. He felt refreshed and well rested. 

Regardless of his eight hours of sleep, at breakfast Alec was able to make him promise not to go into the house today, but to first sift through and catalog the books he had brought with him yesterday.

Alec cupped his face and kissed him. He said "I love you", kissed him again and left for the living room. He had some (to be honest rather a lot of) mission reports to read and, as always, the Clave was on his back so he had to write the reports himself.

Magnus took Iris' books and went to his study. The first three books were common literature for warlocks, nothing special. Nevertheless, he looked through them thoroughly to see if there was a note somewhere in the margin, a slip of paper with a recipe between the pages or if they were otherwise changed with magic.

When he opened the fourth book he knew that he would be occupied with it for much longer. Some incantations were in Chthonic or Gehennic, the sense and meaning of which Magnus naturally understood when first reading it. He would still take his time later to translate it. 

He put this book on a different pile than the previous three, which were intended for young Warlocks in his community.

The fifth book was very old, the cover worn from frequent use and brittle, so Magnus opened it carefully. The text was written in Tartarian, which was not necessarily Magnus' preferred demon language. This book was going to give him a headache, that much was clear.

Even though the handwriting was so faded in some places it was difficult for Magnus to decipher, the book was artistically illustrated, the colors still bright. Magnus discovered some summoning rings he had already used himself over the centuries. 

About halfway through the book, he found the summoning ring he had noticed in Iris' basement. 

With difficulty he read the corresponding text. He didn't want to put a spell on the book that made the writing easier to read. After a few paragraphs, Magnus figured out what it was about.

Magnus leaned back in his chair, pressed the bridge of his nose and sighed mournfully. He wished Ragnor was here to help with the translation. Magnus thought wistfully of the many hours he and Ragnor had squatted over texts and scrolls. He missed his friend deeply.

He read the incantation again and wrote the translation in a notebook. He would put this page in the book so he wouldn't have to start over in a few days. It was hard enough to decipher what was written the first time.

Magnus worked so focused, he didn't realize that he was mumbling the Tartarian words to himself.

༺ ∘ ༻

Alec worked on the eloquent wording of a report in which he clearly told the Clave to back the fuck off (only more politely expressed). In his opinion, Idris was trying too hard to interfere in the running of his Institute. 

He needed another coffee. He put the iPad aside and went into the kitchen. He poured himself a cup of coffee when an incredibly loud noise came from the back of the loft.

"Magnus!" Alarmed, he dropped everything he had in his hands, drew his Seraph dagger and ran into the hallway towards Magnus' study. Alec threw open the door, Seraph dagger raised, and was greeted by a sight that in his wildest dreams he would not have believed possible. 

"All the legends are true," Alec whispered in awe.

A dragon. A living dragon. A visibly angry and irritated dragon, which turned surprisingly quickly to the open door in the room, which was much too small for its massive figure, when Alec suddenly burst in.

The dragon's tail swept across a dresser and threw on the floor whatever Magnus had arranged on it. 

"There goes my ..." Magnus fell silent as the dragon turned his attention back to him. Smoke rose from his nostrils in a white spiral towards the ceiling.

Alec held out his hand. "Magnus, come over to me. That way he can keep an eye on both of us at the same time and maybe calm down a bit." 

He wasn't going to move further into the room and give up the safety of the open door at his back. 

Alec still held the Seraph dagger raised high and didn't take his eyes off the dragon for a second as Magnus stepped slowly, without hasty movements, around from behind his desk. Clearly visible to the Kite, he held both hands up, to assure him that he posed no danger.

As Magnus moved through his study, the dragon turned with him, always facing the Warlock, whose intentions he cannot assess.

The dragon could barely move in the narrow space between the door and the desk, the neck was bent so that his head would not hit the ceiling. 

In order not to be squeezed between the furniture, the dragon pushed the heavy table aside to the window with one knee. 

Magnus grimaced at the sound. His hand pointed helplessly at the damage the table legs had done on the wooden floor.

"Now don't complain about the few scratches in the parquet. We literally have bigger problems." Alec had pushed Magnus protectively behind him, who made an reluctantly sound and shoved Alec aside so he could stand next to him.

"Magnus! How could you summon a dragon?" the Shadowhunter asked more reproachfully than he intended. He would have preferred if Magnus had stayed behind him.

"I haven't done this." 

"Of course you have!" Alec pointed to the dragon. "Or did this just fly through the window?"

"No need to get sarcastic." Magnus pushed down Alec's arm, which was holding the Seraph dagger. "I have no idea where it came from now. I translated this text and suddenly it appeared." 

Magnus looked at the table, his mind connecting the dots. 

"In Iris' house there was a room in the basement that had been enlarged with magic. On the floor there was a strange summoning ring that I have never seen before. I think there is a connection. The chains and shackles on the wall were intended for the dragon." 

The dragon moved to look at the desk. His tail hit one of the shelves. And again something fell down with a clang. What that was couldn't be seen, the dragon stood in the way.

Magnus sighed theatrically and enlarged the room with the help of his magic. 

When the Dragon was able to stretch to full height, it let out a loud growl that only slightly appeared to be threatening.

"But why is the dragon here with us and not in Iris' house? Why was that even possible? How could that happen? I always thought you had to do the incantation at the summoning ring." Alec wondered.

"Magnus, what can one do with a dragon?" Alec frowned. "What did Iris need a dragon for? Certainly not for their demonic reproductive program," he went on thoughtfully.

Magnus shook his head. "No, not directly for this purpose, but her research was costly. She didn't earn much with her work as a warlock, or not enough to feed several women and children," he explained. 

"Astronomical prices are paid in the shadow market for dragon's blood, claws or scales." Magnus pointed to the dragon. "That would have been a constant source of income for Iris."

Alec rubbed Magnus' back. "How good that you put an end to the trade and she's now in the Gard in Alicante."

Magnus nodded absently. Another idea just occurred to him. "I have to examine this house more thoroughly and find out whether Iris has any other property or real estate elsewhere. I don't want to imagine that she is holding unicorns or mermaids captive somewhere in order to harvest them just like she planned to do with the dragon. "

Alec agreed. "I'll ask the Merfolk if anyone is missing there. If so, maybe we can use something to track them down."

A movement of the dragon turned Alec's attention away from Magnus and towards the mythical beast. Smoke rose from the nostrils again, the eyes sparkled gold. The dragon looked visibly nervous, upset, if you could even interpret the behavior and expression of a dragon.

"Um, Magnus? Do you happen to know how to appease a dragon?" Alec reached for Magnus' arm and pushed him back behind him.

Magnus put his hand on Alec's shoulder and slid back next to Alec. Shaking his head he said: "Not right away." 

"What was that again about virgins?"

Magnus looked at his boyfriend in disbelief. "Alexander, this is New York. Where are you going to get one or even several 18 year old virgins from? Not to mention the fact that your willingness to offer human sacrifices is very questionable." 

Alec waved his hand at the dragon. "Then make him leave. Or her," and after a moment's thought, "Or them." 

Magnus turned to Alec. "And how so?"

Alec shrugged. "Dunno. Say the spell again." 

Magnus and the dragon looked at Alec in disbelief.

"Then we would have two dragons in our home. And I don't think our Zorro here will be thrilled about it." Magnus jerked his thumb over his shoulder.

The dragon looked at Magnus, squinting his eyes.

"Um, reverse reading?" 

The dragon snorted.

"What?" Alec snapped. "I'm a Shadowhunter, not a warlock." 

After a moment he turned to Magnus: "Zorro?"

"You know, the avenger of people who fights injustice with a cloak, sword and a mask."

"Yes, I know who Zorro is. I saw the movie with you. I saw all the movies with Antonio Banderas because of you." Playfully, Alec gave Magnus an Eskimo kiss. 

He nodded in the direction of the dragon. "He's not, though." 

Magnus looked at the dragon. "I don't know, the black scales around the eye area look like a mask. Don't you think so?"

Alec frowned doubtfully. "Batman wears a mask too."

Magnus put a hand on his chest in mock horror. "Alexander, seriously? This is a dragon, a powerful, mystical being. The very thought of comparing it to a bat is … ridiculous."

Almost apologetically, he looked over at the dragon. "I think I have to have a serious word with Simon regarding his selection of suggested movies for an ignorant Shadowhunter."

Alec rolled his eyes. "You're exaggerating, babe, excessively."

"No, I'm not! Besides, Robin was the one wearing a mask." Magnus raised both hands on the sides of his head to indicate pointed ears. "Batman had this ..."

 **ENOUGH** boomed in their heads. 

Like two small, frightened children, Magnus and Alec reached for the other one's hand.

The dragon's golden eyes fixed on the lovers. The Wyvern's gaze was indecipherable, intimidating in their enigmatic unfathomability.

"Did you hear that?" Alec whispered in awed astonishment. "The dragon can speak."

**OF COURSE I CAN SPEAK**

"And why did you keep silent the whole time and not say something earlier?" ~ "Why are you talking now?" After a moment of surprised silence, Magnus and Alec simultaneously seemed to recover their ability to speak.

 **YOU ARE RIDICULOUS**

Magnus has been called many things, had been given a few names, both flattering and insulting, but no one had ever called him ridiculous.

Alec immediately noticed the change in Magnus' demeanour. He let go of Magnus' hand and put his arm around his waist, his thumb stroking his stomach soothingly.

"Looks like we pissed off Zorro somehow." Unnoticed, he tightened his grip on the Seraph dagger without lifting it. "But there is one good thing about it, we can communicate now."

The dragon bowed its neck and pushed its head closer to Alec. The bulges above his eyes shifted, so it almost looked like he was [frowning](https://thumbs.gfycat.com/ImpeccableWhirlwindBumblebee.webp).

**I HAVE A NAME**

"Which would be?" Magnus challenged him.

**YOU ARE NOT WORTHY TO CALL MY NAME**

Whether Magnus' huff was his answer to the dragon or the result of Alec's arm, squeezing his side, no one wanted to evaluate.

"The name does not matter now, it is much more important to find a solution, together." 

At moments like these, it became apparent that Alec had been trained in diplomacy. 

"I guess he or she or it, or whatever," he nodded at the dragon "doesn't want to be here any more than we want to have a fully-grown dragon in our home."

Magnus put his hand on Alec's, stroking his thumb, who immediately loosened his grip a little. "Why do you think this creature is fully grown?"

Alec risked a surprised look at Magnus. "It’s not?" With big eyes wide with astonishment, he slowly turned his head and gazed at the gigantic mythical creature. 

It took Alec a moment to focus and sorting through which of the many things floating around in his head was a priority.

"How can we address you, what name can we use?"

The dragon tilted his head slightly, seeming to be studying the humans in front of him.

**IDAIA**

"That's a beautiful name." The compliment came easily from Magnus' lips.

"Idaia, may I introduce: the gorgeous man by my side is Magnus Bane, High Warlock of Brooklyn." Alec leaned his head against Magnus' for a moment. "I'm Alec Lightwood, Head of the New York institute."

Idaia inclined her head briefly in recognition. 

Alec slipped the Seraph dagger into his thigh holster to make it clear that they posed no danger. At least not an immediate one. 

"Idaia, is there anything you can do to help resolve this situation? Do you have any idea how we can get you back to your home?"

**NO**

"I was hoping that you could at least point us in the right direction." Magnus was disappointed with Idaia's response.

"Magnus, there must be some approach somewhere that we could use to allow Idaia to return to her realm."

"Alec!" Magnus cupped his cheeks and kissed him firmly. "That's it! That's the clue I needed."

Excited, he went to one of the many dressers and opened the door.

"Magnus, what's going on? I don’t quite follow you." Alec watched his boyfriend, who, full of newfound vigor, began to rummage in the dresser and put a few books on the floor beside him, while crouching on the floor.

Magnus turned to Alec without straightening up. "You, my Angel, are a genius."

"I know that," Alec chuckled. "But why in this particular case?" 

"You said we have to allow Idaia to go back to her realm," Magnus explained.

Alec frowned. "Yes I did." He still didn't know what Magnus was getting at.

"Her own realm, Alec!"

Shaking his head, Alec shrugged.

"When warlocks draw a summoning ring, it is for the sole purpose that a demon from hell would appear, who for whatever reason is useful to them." Magnus paused his search in the dresser to explain his train of thought to Alec.

"Dragons do not exist in hell. They live in their own realm, in their own dimension." 

He pointed to the books he had taken from the dresser. "These are Ragnor's books. He was an expert in dimensional magic. The solution could be here somewhere.” 

After Ragnor's death, Magnus had closed his household and took all his books for safekeeping.

"I should have listened to Ragnor more carefully, then I could have made more sense of this text much earlier." Magnus confessed meekly. 

He picked up one of the books at random and opened it. "Oh, how happy he would be if he could hear me now."

Alec crouched down next to him and took the book from his hand. "Can I help you in any way, love?"

Affectionately, Magnus stroked Alec's cheek. "I'm afraid no, my darling. Even if you had mastered one or the other demon language, most of the texts are only comprehensible for a warlock." 

Alec nodded, leaned in and placed a tender, lingering peck on Magnus' mouth.

"Then I'll see if I can find out if Iris still had any other property anywhere and contact the Merfolk."

Agreeing, Magnus tapped Alec's shoulder before turning back to the contents of the dresser.

Alec took his phone out of his pocket and dialed the Institute. He gave instructions that further property in the name of Iris Rouse be researched. If necessary, the names of the mothers and their children should also be checked.

Next he made a formal request for an audience with the chief of the Merfolk, which was immediately granted to him.

Alec glanced at Idaia and took Magnus' hand. "Can I leave you alone?"

"Of course." Magnus raised both of their hands and kissed Alec's knuckles. "We will get along quite well, won't we?" he directed his question to the dragon, who had laid down in Magnus' study, albeit not completely relaxed.

"I hope so!" Alec's thumb brushed Magnus' hand briefly before releasing it and approaching Idaia. 

He looked at the dragon and said in calm words: "Because if anything happens to the love of my life, if even a hair is twisted while I'm gone, then it is no longer necessary for anyone to look for a way to get you home, because you will never see your realm again. I'll stand by and watch the crows peck your eyes out of your dying body and the coyotes fight for your guts. Have I made myself clear?"

Idaia inclined her head.

**YOU HAVE NO NEED TO WORRY**

Magnus came up to his boyfriend, hips swaying. "Alexander, I didn't even know that so much poetic blood ran in your veins. You being so heroic does things to me…" 

Magnus' hands went over Alec's chest and shoulders, his arms wrapped around his neck, shoving a knee between Alec's legs. "Are you sure that you have to leave immediately and not in let's say an hour?"

Alec tilted his head, smiling. Their kiss left nothing to be desired in terms of passion. With both hands on Magnus' bum, Alec pulled his boyfriend even closer.

A claw [tapping](https://imgflip.com/gif/4oj63r) the ground impatiently interrupted their incipient foreplay. 

With an unwilling growl, Alec pulled away from Magnus. "Don't forget to eat something in between, will you?" Alec pecked Magnus' lips once more.

"I will," promised Magnus, who had this request put a question to the dragon. "What do dragons eat?"

**CATTLE COWS SHEEP**

"I could possibly conjure a half of beef from the butcher."

**I AM NOT A SCAVENGER I DO NOT TAKE DEAD ANIMALS AS MEALS**

Magnus opened his mouth, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"No!" Alec immediately cut off Magnus' train of thought. "I won't let you bring a live cow to the loft, for Idaia to..." Alec shuddered. "The thought itself!"

**I AM NOT HUNGRY OR THIRSTY**

That made Magnus' duties as a host a lot easier.

He opened a portal for Alec, kissed his boyfriend goodbye, and immersed himself in Ragnor's books. He had already forgotten any thought about lunch when the portal closed behind Alec.

༺ ∘ ༻

Alec was back in just over an hour. He brought take-out from Takki's as a late lunch/early dinner. He knew his boyfriend too well to trust that he had remembered to eat something while he was away. 

Alec waited until Magnus had put the books and his notebook aside and made room before putting the take-out boxes on the desk. There was no way he wanted to mess up Magnus' organized chaos.

While they ate together, Alec reported on his meeting at the port. No one had been missed from the Merfolk, neither in recent days nor in recent years. Nobody had disappeared and suddenly reappeared either. 

Idaia, still lying in the middle of the study, had meanwhile propped her head on Magnus' desk and was listening. Magnus had conjured a large mattress for her so she wouldn't have to lie on the hard floor. 

He had received information from the Institute that Iris Rouse did not own any other property.

Magnus shared the results of his research. He knew now why Idaia had turned up in the loft, not at the summoning ring in Iris' house. The spell included an attachment to whoever recited the spell and not to the place where the summoning ring was painted. The reason was that the Warlock could gain more control over the dragon. Though Iris had clearly intended to read the spell in the basement, judging by the chains and shackles. 

After both of them had eaten their fill, Alec put the leftovers in Tupperware and stowed them in the fridge. He tossed the empty packaging in the trash and quickly washed the cutlery by hand.

In the meantime the coffee machine had run out and Alec filled two mugs that he carried into the study. 

With a grateful smile, Magnus accepted the mug Alec handed him, who put his own mug in an empty space on the desk and went into the living room to get his iPad. Unable to help Magnus with his research, he wanted to read through his teams' mission reports. 

He had just finished reading and signing the third report when Magnus sat up excitedly in his chair. "Alec! Alec! Alec! Come here, I think I found something."

Idaia's half-closed eyes opened, her attention focused on Magnus. 

Alec circled the desk and sat on the edge of the table on Magnus' side.

Magnus leaned forward, pushed an open book closer to Alec, and pointed to a handwritten note on the margin of the book. "That's Ragnor's handwriting. That's a name!"

"Arach Cadman," Alec read. 

"It's celtic and means dragon warrior." Magnus tapped the book. "Now I vaguely remember Ragnor once traveling to Wales for three weeks to visit another Warlock. I really wanted him to take me with him when he told me that this Warlock was a specialist in unicorns, centaurs, griffins, all kinds of mythical creatures."

Magnus smiled at the memory. "I was so mad that I had to stay home with Cat as my babysitter. It hadn't been a year since Ragnor had taken me in. I was very young back then, and couldn't fully control my magic."

Alec took the book from Magnus' hand and sat back in his chair. Looking for more clues, he turned the pages. 

"Cat explained to me that this Warlock was very secluded, a little quirky, and needed Ragnor's help with something. As she described him, Arach Cadman is the Shadowworld equivalent of Harry Potter's Hagrid. "

"Maybe he can answer the question of whether unicorns are missing." Alec checked his watch. "But not today. It's almost 6pm now. In Wales it should be well after 10pm by now. We cannot knock on his door in the middle of the night, accompanied by a dragon." 

At these words, Alec's palm touched the dragon's nose. Irritated by the sudden and unfamiliar gesture, the dragon raised its head.

Alec realized what he had done and looked at Idaia in complete shock. Slowly, hesitantly, Idaia put her head back on the table, her golden eyes fixed on Alec, who sat frozen in his chair. 

Millimeter by millimeter, Idaia pushed her massive skull towards the hand that had just patted her.

Gingerly, Alec reached out and put his hand on the curve of Idaia's nose, right between her nostrils. When nothing happened, he ran his thumb over her warm skin, which was surprisingly soft to the touch, like damp leather.

Neither Alec nor Idaia noticed that Magnus had pulled out his cell phone, taking several photos.

When Alec looked at him with a shit eating grin Magnus innocently raised his phone. 

"I'm going to send a message to Tessa. She should have the exact address in the Spiral Labyrinth."

Then they, Magnus and Alec, discussed the best course of action. 

After some back and forth, they agreed to leave at 6am (in the middle of the night in Magnus' opinion) so that they could get to Wales before noon (better to get up in the middle of the night than to piss someone off you hoped for help because you stood in front of the door unannounced while the person was having lunch, Alec's argument).

Up to that point no one had thought about the purely practical execution of their plan. 

How do you get a dragon through a portal? Will she voluntarily pass through a portal? Does she even fit through a portal? If not, can Magnus make it big enough to fit through? How much magic does Magnus need for that? Too much?

They had received the information that Arach Cadman would be in Snowdonia National Park in North Wales. Magnus had never been there before, so he couldn't open a portal directly to it.

Furthermore, you never knew what to expect on the other side of a portal, so it was risky to push a dragon through a portal by the buttocks.

Was Idaia able to glamour herself? **NO** Did Magnus have to do this for her? **OBVIOUSLY**

Alec opened Google Maps on his iPad and sat down on the desk next to his boyfriend. 

Magnus knew Chester and Wrexham on one side and Bangor was on the other. Bangor seemed the closest, but still a good hour by car. 

Covering this distance on foot was out of the question and the dragon would not fit in a taxi.

"I could go through the portal first and give you a sign if you can follow me. You put a glamor on Idaia so the mundanes don't panic at the sight of her," suggested Alec. 

"We come through the portal and then..." Magnus hesitated. "Couldn't she, I mean..." He shrugged. "Who can claim to have travelled with a dragon?"

Idaia turned her head in Magnus' direction. As always, her expression was unfathomable.

"Magnus! This is not Falkor and we don't live in the neverending story." Alec's hand cupped Magnus 'nape, his thumb caressing Magnus' cheek as he pulled him in for a kiss. "Although, I'm all for a neverending story when you play the lead in it."

Magnus wrapped his arms around Alec's waist and pulled his butt off the table until he was sitting in his lap.

Alec put his arms around Magnus' neck, who let his hand slide up and down Alec's thigh. Their lips met for a deep kiss.

**FOCUS**

Alec pressed his mouth to Magnus' lips again with a hum. "Later," he promised.

"I'll remind you." Magnus squeezed his boyfriend’s ass before Alec got up and sat in his chair.

"What alternatives do we have if we leave out bringing Idaia to Wales through the portal?" Magnus took one of his pens between his index finger and middle finger and patted it thoughtfully on the table.

"Um ... When we have reached our destination and talked to Arach Cadman, you could conjure her, you know, like you do all the time with our takeout menus?" 

**I AM NOT A MEAL**

"Somebody doesn't find the comparison with your beloved bacon burger so funny." Magnus pointed the pen at Idaia, who had raised her head from the desk.

"Do you have a better idea?" Alec turned his body towards the dragon. “I'm all ears."

**I WILL FLY HIGH ABOVE YOUR HEADS IN THE CLOUDS UNSEEN UNNOTICED**

"So it is the portal." Magnus tossed the pen on the desk and grabbed his cell phone to rent a car online in Bangor.

"That's it." He put his cell phone in his pocket. Turning to Idaia, he asked: "Is there anything else I can do for you? Are you warm enough? Are you thirsty? Are you hungry?" 

**NO**

"Wonderful. Fantastic. Terrific." Magnus got up and offered Alec his hand. "Then we say goodbye to you for today. Tomorrow promises to be interesting but nonetheless exciting." 

He pulled Alec to his feet and headed for the door. "We have to get up very early and will therefore withdraw now." Magnus opened the door and turned around again. "Good night, Idaia."

Alec just managed to say "Sleep well, Idaia." before Magnus impatiently dragged him out of the study and closed the door. He slammed Alec against the wall opposite of his study and kissed him senseless. 

Even if Magnus had forgotten to eat, he still remembered very well what turned him on earlier.

They provided their bedroom with a silencing spell and a silencing rune that Alec drew on the door. They both wanted to be doubly careful because who knows how well dragons can hear.

Magnus knew how they got and he had no intention of holding himself back with his boyfriend tonight.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> This fic is for a special person, who is very dear to my heart. [Jess](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MuscleMemory/pseuds/MuscleMemory), I wish you a Merry Christmas and a successful start into a better 2021. You gave me the right idea for this prompt and for the sequel. Thanks to you, I have a name so Magnus, Alec and Idaia can continue this quest.
> 
> A heartfelt thank you goes to my wonderful beta [myblackeyedboy](http://myblackeyedboy.tumblr.com) not just for proofreading, but for the time she sacrifices for me, for her willingness to help far beyond beta-ing, to research things like Arach Cadman's place of residence for me.
> 
> With the second chapter I will fulfill prompt number 8. I will write the prompts in order so that we all (yes, even me) won't find out how things will go until next year. I have only rough notes for this sequel so far and it is likely that something else will happen than I originally planned. Which doesn't always have to be worse. We will see. Eventually 
> 
> Kudos and comments are very welcome. 😉 I would love to hear your thoughts or favourite line.
> 
> For suggestions and complaints you can find me at  
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/Imandras)  
> or  
> [tumblr](https://imandras.tumblr.com)
> 
> #SaveShadowhunters ➰  
> #Shadowhunters 💕  
> #MalecForever 💞


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